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(WSCR) At this point in the season, it’s pretty clear that the Chicago Cubs aren’t going to be competing the NL Central. But, in preparing to compete in the division over the next few seasons, the team needs to evaluate which players can be traded for prospects.

“You have to think about trading anybody but [Starlin] Castro,” Peter Gammons, of the MLB Network, said on the Mully and Hanley Show. “Now, you don’t want to trade [Carlos] Marmol, he’s tremendous.”

It’s the fact that Marmol is so good, that makes him so attractive to teams fighting for a playoff spot. But the Cubs need to weigh their options and what they would get in return for one of the most promising young closers in baseball.

“The New York Yankees and the Texas Rangers, have a lot in their farm systems and desperately need bullpen help,” Gammons said. “If you go to Texas and get three top prospects, or you go to the Yankees and get three top prospects, then it probably is worth it. You start the rebuilding and you figure out another way to go. Maybe [Chris] Carpenter can become a closer? I mean, he does throw 99, 100 miles per hour. Maybe that’s your guy.

“You have to think about everything if you’re the Cubs right now. You’re not going to be able to give up [Alfonso] Soriano. You’re not going to be able to get rid of [Carlos] Zambrano. I mean, … people aren’t going to take that money. So you have to figure out other ways. And while Marmol is a great relief pitcher, if you can get three players for him, and really good young players, then it’s worth it.”